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Maryland school officials said they are confident they will able to obligate almost $780 million in federal funds by Sept. 30 鈥� money that will have to be returned to the federal government if they don鈥檛.
The funding is part of $1.95 billion Maryland received in use-it-or-lose-it pandemic-relief funds for schools from the American Rescue Plan鈥檚 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, program. As of this week, Maryland had spent 60.7% of the total, for $1.18 billion.
Maryland鈥檚 rate of obligating its funds is one of the lowest in the nation, ahead of only Nebraska and the District of Columbia, according to a U.S. Department of Education聽.
In a letter to all states dated Sept. 10, Laura Jimenez, director of state and grantee relations in the department鈥檚 ESSER Office, reminded grantees that they have until Sept. 30 to report on how they will commit to draw down the remaining money. States have until Jan. 28, 2025, to liquidate, or spend, the money, but can also request an extension to March 2026.
That鈥檚 what Maryland has done and will do, said Krishna Tallur, deputy state superintendent for the state Department of Education鈥檚 Office of Finance and Operations.
鈥淲e believe that all of the funds will be obligated by the deadline and liquated by the extended deadline,鈥� Tallur said in an interview earlier this month.
罢丑别听聽still shows that Maryland spent 59.4% of its allocation, but Tallur said that the number as of July, the most recent available, was actually 60.07%.
But if the state doesn鈥檛 obligate that money, then it goes back to the federal government.
鈥淎t the end of the day, our kids cannot afford for this money to just disappear. This is tax money, right?鈥� said Tracie Potts, executive director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College, which released a report last month on ESSER funding.
The pandemic-era relief money in this third and final round can be used for a variety of needs and services such as summer enrichment programs, upgrades to facilities and mental health support.
鈥淔ederal funds just don鈥檛 come out of the air,鈥� Potts said in an interview. 鈥淭his is money that was designated for our kids to catch up. The question becomes, 鈥榃hat are we going to do with it?鈥欌��
Her institute鈥檚 report, 鈥淏uilding America: Reinventing Education Funding Education in Maryland During and After the Pandemic,鈥� was completed last fall with data updated through January 2023. 罢丑别听聽updated a source file last month on what districts spent in federal pandemic-era funding.
The report offers recommendations for school district officials to invest and evidence-based strategies to address pandemic learning recovery such as community school and summer learning programs. It also highlighted聽, which will be done this school year in Baltimore City.
Potts said research has shown it鈥檚 best for high-impact tutoring to take place during the school day in small groups and done several times a week.
鈥淣umber one, more than likely you鈥檒l be able to get the teachers because they鈥檙e already there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are additional costs when we keep kids after school and try to get them there before school. If transportation is not provided, then only the kids who have somebody at home and who鈥檚 not working鈥an pick them up. So that鈥檚 an equity issue.鈥�
Except for the District of Columbia, which had allocated just 44.4% of its funding, according to the federal dashboard this week, all of Maryland鈥檚 other neighbors had obligated or spent significantly larger share of their ESSER funding:
- 聽reported spending 83.1%, with $69.5 million left to obligate;
- 聽has allocated 79.8%, with $153.9 million left;
- 聽spent 77.1%, and had $484.4 million left;
- 补苍诲听聽had spent 77% money, with $1.1 billion left to obligate.
奥丑颈濒别听聽补苍诲听聽were at the bottom among states, having allocated 56% and 44.4% respectively, Hawaii and Washington state had allocated the largest share among states.聽聽has spent 93.7% of its $412.5 million, and has $26.2 million left, while聽聽had $169.5 million left, having spent 90.9% of its $1.85 billion total.
聽received and spent the most, getting $15 billion and spending $12.3 billion, or 81.5%.
Del. Bernice Mireku-North (D-Montgomery), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, said she didn鈥檛 know about the upcoming deadline, or amount left. But she said federal dollars have helped to address pandemic challenges such as food insecurity and laptops for children in her jurisdiction.
鈥淲e will continue our commitment to a world-class education for our children, by making sure they have the resources they need around the state,鈥� she said in an interview Aug. 30. 鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a point for us to consider how we鈥檙e going to fund them once federal money goes away. We鈥檒l continue to work together as a legislature to find the right steps that the gains from those federal resources aren鈥檛 lost.鈥�
罢丑别听聽will host an online discussion Tuesday from what some state education officials learned in applying the ESSER funding to their schools as the 鈥渓ooming ESSER funding cliff鈥� approaches.
